Can we talk about rooster raising?

[Mrs. K]

I would expect the rooster of the op to be come more and more violent, and there is a good chance he will eventually attack even your husband. Generally they attack children first, then women, and then men.

I am more of the camp, of hands off, and I have had much better luck raising roosters in a multigenerational flock, where older hens thump some manners into them. But I strongly agree with the above poster that says it is really the luck of the draw.

The chick you loved is gone, and I am betting you have been damn good to your birds, I would recommend culling him. If you have children, or if you have anyone else that visits the chickens, I strongly recommend you let him go.

Most people vastly underestimate the violence of a rooster attack. He knocked your glasses off, could have scratched your face or eyes. No rooster is worth it in my opinion. Roosters have ruined the whole chicken experience for a lot of people.

Mrs K

 

[bhawk-23]

I would expect the rooster of the op to be come more and more violent, and there is a good chance he will eventually attack even your husband. Generally they attack children first, then women, and then men.

I just want to confirm you are referring to Oscar" and not the rooster that has attacked already.
I agree it's a crap shoot, and I'm playing my cards not knowing. But if I am a confident person who firmly believes keeping dominant status with all animals and I will have no issue putting him in his place if he ever began to show aggression do you think the risks outweigh the chance of a good outcome? I am not looking to debate or argue, I genuinely want all thoughts and experiences from as many people as I can get. This is a huge decision and I am not taking it lightly. We are euthanizing all the roosters on Monday and it would be easier if we had a final decision by then and not have to do him at a later time.
Thank you!

 

[Mrs. K]

bhawk23 - You are correct, I reread the post, and I AM referring to the rooster that attacked and knocked her glasses off.

 

[bhawk-23]

bhawk23 - You are correct, I reread the post, and I AM referring to the rooster that attacked and knocked her glasses off.

Thanks for clarifying

So after rereading my post, do you have any thoughts on our situation? Thank you!

 

[MysteryChicken]

My method of raising roosters is handling them from day1 - to adulthood. Every once in awhile you get a bad seed that can't be changed. Only had two, technically 3, I have Black Silkie rooster who's a butt head. But I love him, so he's staying.

 

[Britt The Chicken Chick]

I have 9 Roosters!
I love my roosters. They have the most incredible personalities, are friendly, and some are very affectionate. They are my little minion gang. They run the greet me when I get home from work, follow me around like dogs, and let me pick them up and love on them.

How did I end up with so many?
I took my chances at getting 10 un-sexed chicks. 8 of them turned out to be roosters and 2 hens. I have since added 6 more hens and another rooster to my flock. 7 of my roosters are free-range and have their own boys only coop. Everyone else is in a different coop and run. Removing their access to the hens eliminates their motivation to compete for resources.

Tips and What I have learned about raising so many roosters:
***First, I want to note that things can be very difficult during their “teenage” years (months). However, if you work with them and be patient they can grow out of it.
1. Handle them a lot and do it from a very early age.
2. Do not put up with bad behavior and be very patient.
• Never kick, hit, yell, etc at your birds. Not only is it cruel or could result in injury, but also it will compound the situation and make them scared or behavior worse. Instead, tap into chicken behavior and work with them in a way they will understand:
I know the following will sound crazy. During those teenage years, I had a couple of boys that were becoming naughty. They were trying to establish the pecking order and put me in there as well. I have NO idea what possessed me to do this, but it worked. What do chickens understand, pecking! I would pick these boys up, carry them around, pet them, and then I would sit them on the picnic table. Here is the crazy part. I would look them in the eyes and then use my nose like a beak and peck them: nose to beak. I would do this and tell them I am in charge and then continue to hold them and give them affection. For some reason this worked and made them submissive.
•As they grew bigger, I continued to work with them. I can say that I have 9 roosters and in the summer I can do chicken chores in shorts and flip flops! No attacks, no bites. As they grew and this behavior began to manifest, I nipped it quickly. If someone tried to go for my ankles, I would pick them up, hold them in front of me, make eye contact, and use my finger to tap them on the end of the beak and tell them no.
3. Positive reinforcement is key. Treats, affection, show them that your presence brings positive things.
4. Spend lots of time with them. Obviously, I am with them when I am outside doing chores. But make time for chicken time. I regularly sit outside in the chicken village, drink a beer or coffee, and just relax and hang with them. They sit on my lap, hop on the picnic table, sit on the arm of my chair and completely chill. I bring them comfort, protection, and ease, so they will shut their eyes and nap.
5. Be aware and address chicken on chicken behavior. There are things such as peepers you can use to help. Sometimes it just takes a little extra care or putting someone in “timeout” to work through a chicken disagreement.
6. Be patient and love your roosters!

 

[bhawk-23]

@Britt The Chicken Chick

Thank you for sharing your experience and methods. The only funny part about pecking is using your nose, I'm trying to picture it I used my finger, gently, on the back of a hens neck when they were being aggressive to another hen. They were about 16 weeks and it only lasted a couple weeks and they seem to understand I was in charge. But later, when top hen went broody some were trying to establish a new order so I would scoop up the mean one and hold her to remove her from the situation (usually treats) and set her about away 20 ft facing away from the others. She would go back but usually not as aggressive.
I did not start handling Oscar until about 11-12 weeks. I was not planning to keep a rooster so did not want to get attached to any. But I watched their behavior closely (mostly because I really enjoy watching them) and noticed how different he was. I decided to give him a chance.

 

[OroBerryFarm]

I have a Phoenix roo that I spoil rotten. He rides on my shoulder when I go outside and I feed him from my hand above and away from the fray that comes with "cracker time" for all of our bigger birds. It was the best way I could come up with to get the others to let him be long enough to love on him. He's quite a regal parrot-bird too..... lolololol

That is funny, our one RIR rooster we call "Parrot" because as an adolescent he got picked on by the hens and chased from the feed troughs; so he took to roosting on my arm to eat. Fast forward a year he is now huge and thinks he should still perch on my arm. Very calm demeanor with the hens but is an absolute slave to the treats or food, training him was very easy. The only other rooster in that flock is very stand offish but I regularly carry him around until he calms down and it seems to be working as he will now eat out of my hand. Neither have been aggresive, some of the hens are more aggressive than the roosters.

 

[Chickassan]

I handle all my cockrels "lord that sounds bad" from day one.
I figure they'll be bad reguardless if they truly have that sort of personality.
The nice guys don't seem to suffer nor do they abuse the privilege of a decent comfort level with me.
Hands on gentle man bird raising is doable as long as your guy isn't nuts and you stay patient and static.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I handle all my cockrels "lord that sounds bad" from day one.
I figure they'll be bad reguardless if they truly have that sort of personality.
The nice guys don't seem to suffer nor do they abuse the privilege of a decent comfort level with me.
Hands on gentle man bird raising is doable as long as your guy isn't nuts and you stay patient and static.

That’s what I’ve experienced as well.